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Reviews For: Cushcraft ARX-2 Ringo Ranger

Category: Antennas: VHF/UHF+ Omnidirectional: verticals, mobile, etc

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Review Summary For : Cushcraft ARX-2 Ringo Ranger
Reviews: 32MSRP: 69.95
Description:
2m vertical antenna, 2x5/8 colinear, no radials
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.cushcraft.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00324
KG4URD Rating: 2003-01-17
Bought another one! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Just purchased another Ringo Ranger II for my Simplex EchoLink Node (#56390) and have it mounted on a 50ft. pushup pole. Works great for incoming Simplex stations.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by KG4URD on 2002-08-21

Only took an hour to assemble and another hour to get it installed. Tuning was a breeze with excellent SWR on the entire 2-meter band. I'm hitting repeaters in distant areas now that I didn't know were even there. This antenna was recommended to me by several area hams and I recommend it to anyone looking at buying an inexpensive ($55) vertical antenna.
KC9AIC Rating: 2002-10-04
Nice, cheap vertical Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought it for $49 at a hamfest. I was able to work a mobile almost 100 miles away, with just a 35W brick amp and a ht. It really got me out, even though it was only mounted 10 feet up against the side of my house. Very good vertical, omnidirectional coverage, great price.
N9VV Rating: 2002-08-21
very disappointed Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased an ARX-2 and it was a complete disappointment. The coax from the ring to the ground plane is crimped (not soldered) and as I screwed the top connector on to the ring the coax separated from the connector! the other end of the groudplane was stripped and my beautiful brand new RG231 would not screw on properly. Now looking for a Comet, Diamond, or Hustler colinear replacement. $50 down the drain. The only good part was that R&L had a great price and fast delivery. Darn shame :-(
K9KJM Rating: 2002-04-04
Don't Buy one new..... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The "Ringo Ranger" is a supposed improvement over the original Ringo..... It has almost nil more gain, But does have lots more mechanical problems than the small Ringo..... Anyone who thinks this antenna has good gain has never tried a really good antenna. About the only good things this antenna has going for it, is that you could remove the upper sections and turn it into an original "Ringo" antenna, from which it evolved...... Then you would at least have a tough two meter antenna...... Buy one at a swapfest if you can get it cheap, Turn it into the original short version and it will last almost forever!
W2MLC Rating: 2001-11-20
good bang for the buck Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have a arx-2b at my qth that has been up for 5 years. I work a lot of simplex and the antenna performs flawlessly. The only problem that I have encountered is the radials tend to break off,maybe birds. Leave the rubber coax boots off and seal the connections with coax seal wrapped over with a good quality electrical tape. The antenna is mounted at a height of 60' to the base of the radials and fed with 9913 coax. I can run 5-10 watts and work stations in all directions for 50+ miles on a consistent basis. Stay away from the dual bander version arx-270 15 footer RG-58 PIGTAIL with a crimp on pl 259. 73,Mike.
KG8ZH Rating: 2001-10-26
Get Job done Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This antenna does function very well. I have used a couple other 2 meter base antennas and it does outperform any other antenna I have used. For recieve and transmit both. Previously, I had an MFJ 2 meter antenna up. When I switched to the ringo, it was like putting an amp inline. I have hit repeaters 70 miles away with no band enhancement using this antenna. Functionally it is a great antenna, but the workmanship quality is only fair. I don't know if this antenna will still be out there on my roof 5 years from now. the radials tend to corrode where they met the mast pipe and are easy to strip if you tighten the locknuts even a little too much. and I am not sure how the feedline between the radials and the base of the antenna will hold up to the test of time either. There are much better antennas out there but they cost a heck of a lot more too(look at the price of some of the diamond antennas). I guess you get what you pay for. For the money, it's not a bad antenna.

Would I buy another? For 70 dollars which is what the first one cost me, yes.
AB5CC Rating: 2001-10-25
Best 2m vertical for $55 Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I operate a packet node in Oklahoma. 7 years ago when I put the node up, I installed a used (very used) ARX2B antenna. The node is 115' high and it made the 65 mile trip to the next node easily. After 3 years, the first antenna was broken by a heavy ice storm and I purchased another for $55 and installed while a friend re-built the damaged antenna. The second antenna is still up after nearly 4 years with no problems and continues to impress me. I have a Comet GP-6 at the same site on an APRS digi and the Ringo definitely out performs it. I use a Comet GP-9 here at the house and it is about equal in performance on 2m, but costs $179!!!.

I would also like to add that the particular site that I use is prone to lightning and everyone told me that I could never keep a node up there. The DC grounded ARX2B has never been hit in almost 7 years. That is fantastic for Oklahoma with all the thunderstorms we get.

Keep up the good work Cushcraft.
KC9AHH Rating: 2001-10-25
Don't waste your money Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Purhcased the antenna 2 weeks ago just got it put up today,worked on the swr tuning for 2 hours and still could'nt get them down so finnaly gave up, the coax from the antenna to the radials the connectors are crimped on not soldered sure won't keep water out very well that way. Insturctions very poor print hard to see and read, i have it on a 25 ft mast pipe and can't even hit a repeater 45 miles away, i could with the home made antenna i had so if your looking to buy an antenna dont waste your money on this one.
WA1TJB Rating: 2001-10-24
Not impressed Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The following is an e-mail I sent to Cushcraft expressing my concern with this product. In fairness to them, I have not yet installed the antenna, so I cannot comment on performance, just on my initial impressions.

I just purchased a Cushcraft ARX-2B antenna from
Amateur Electronic Supply and received it last week. I
purchased the antenna because, although I have never
used Cushcraft products, all of my ham friends have
recommended your equipment as being the finest
available.

Last night, I sat down to begin the assembly process.
The following are my observations from my initial
encounter with your product:

1. I found the assembly instructions too simple and the 3-D views unclear. I am an engineer and am used to working with complex mechanical products, so I was able to "figure it out". However, had I not had the mechanical background, it would have been extremely confusing to me. The major problem was that the drawings are too small. In addition, while there is a chart detailing the dimensions to use for each
frequency setting, there are no tuning instructions for what to adjust to achieve the optimum SWR. This may not be necessary if the antenna is guaranteed to resonate with no adjustments but, in my experience, this is rarely the case. Also, there are no instructions for applying the supplied lubricant. Is
this just for use on the tube sections that slide
together, or should it also be used on the screw
connections for the tuning ring?

2. I am not impressed with the workmanship of the
product.

a. Within minutes of opening the box, my hands were
covered with tiny aluminum particles and a black film, evidence that the parts went through no cleaning process to remove any of the chips and/or lubricants used when the tubing was cut. I have cleaned all of the tubing to remove the debris and lubricants.

b. Where the tubing has been cut, either on the ends or where there are clamping slots, the edges are rough and have a lot of burrs, making it easy for one to get cut.

c. I was surprised at the construction of the coax
portion of the antenna. It did not appear that
silver/teflon connectors were used and the connectors were crimped on, not soldered. If this antenna is to function well for many years, I would think that standard precautions would be taken to minimize the possibility of water getting into the connections.

I will complete the assembly of the unit and put it
through its paces this coming weekend, weather
permitting. I hope that, despite the fabrication
shortfalls, that it performs up to specification and that it lasts the winter. These will be the
determining factors in whethter or not I choose to use any of your other products (I plan to install a tri-band beam in the spring).

Gary Smith
WA1TJB
KG4IKN Rating: 2001-07-16
excellent antenna Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This antenna works much better than expected and i can run simplex almost exclusively in our area and can get to HT's over long distances.i have a cushcraft beam 13b2 which is also a great antenna,but use this one and don't have to go directional to get to who i want to contact. if you buy this antenna you will be more than satisfied with it.i put it on a 30 foot push pole which makes it 44 feet high. '73's